crawford



' (No Model.)

Z'Sheets-Sheet 1. J. CRAWFORD.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Mar.zo\,1a8s.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I2. J. CRAWFORD.

FIRE ESCAPE.

p Patented Mar. 20,1883.

l mf O invadedm/ and the other firesescape, showing the ladder sponding parts in all the figures.

UNITED STATES JOHN cnawronnmr BROOKLYN, N. `Y

Arriba.

., AssIeNOn 'ro WILLIAM H. WARBUR- TON, OF NEW YORK, AND THOMAS F. BOYLE AND DANIEL BOY'LE, OF

y BROOKLYN, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,278, dated 'March 20, 1883.

Application filed June 15, 1882. (No model.)

To all Awhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN CRAWFORD, of the'city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState of New York, have invented a cer- 5 tain new and Auseful Improvement in Fire- Escapes, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to that class of lireescape which consists of a folding ladder, one

:o upright of which is securedto the exterior of the building, while the other upright is adapted to swing downward and away from the fixed.' upright to open the ladder, the rounds or rungs being pivoted to both uprights, and

I 5 to be operated or moved in a reverse direction 'for'closing the ladder. Y

The invention consists in the combination, with the folding ladder, of novel means for retaining it folded and for supporting the movzo able upright when the ladder is opened, and in details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, `Figure 1 represents an elevation of a building and two 2 5 fire-escapes secured thereto, and-both embodying my invention and both being represented as closed. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section ot' the front of the wall of the building and one v of the tire-escapes opened or let down ready 3o for use. Fig. Srepresents a horizontal section on the dotted linew w, Fig. 1, showing theladder opened. Fig. 4 represents a similar section on the dotted line yy, Fig. l. Fig. 5 represents a vertical section of a portion of the wall ready for use. Fig. 6 represents a sectional view of a support for the ladder when open, and which is also shownin Fig. 5. Fig. 7 rep. resents a sectional view, 'upon a larger scale, 4o showing the construction of the ladder. Fig. 8 represents a section on the dotted line z z, Fig. 7 and Fig.'9 is a detail view, hereinafter4 described.

Similar letters of reference designate corre- I will first describe the manner in which I prefer to construct the folding ladder which I make use of; but I do not conne myself to the particular construction, as it can lbe made 5o in other ways than as here shown. The conl struction ofthe ladder is best shown in Figs.

2, 5, 7, and 8. g

A designates the ixed upright, which consists simply of a iiat plate adapted to be secured to the wall B by bolts or otherwise, and A' designates the movable upright,which consists ofa channel-iron ot' proper size.

O designates the rounds or rangs, which consist of iron bars pivoted at one end to fulcrum-pieces a, riveted to the fixed upright A, 6o `and at the other end to fulcruIn-pieces l), riveted to the movable upright A. Each ofthe fulcrum-pieces a b is formed with ears or lugs, `between which the rounds or rungs O fit, and to which they are pivoted. In order to aidin preventingthe movable upright from dropping, so as to carrythe rungs C beyond a horizontal position, I form the 'ulcrum-picces a so that they afford a bearing, c', for the rungs when in a horizontal position, and I give the rungs 7o an angular formation at the outer Aend, b, so that they abut against the fulcrum-pieces b when in a horizontal position. When the ladder is folded up, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, the rungs O are received in the channel iron upright and protected trom the weather, so that the joints are not liable to rust, and so that the rungs cannot become covered with ice, and thus render it unsafe for persons descending thereon.

Referring now to the ladder sho-wn at the right hand of Fig. l, and also in Figs. 2, 3, and 4,1) designates platforms which are hinged to the wall B at c, so that they may swing` up close against the wall, as shown in Fig...l, or outward and downward, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so as to afford a resting-place for persons in passing from the windows ot' the building to the ladder. These platforms D are provided with openings `for the ladder, which are large 9o enough to permit persons to pass down through the platforms ou either side of the ladder, and

each platform comprisesarod or brace, D,which is inserted through the movable upright A',

and is offset at d, on each side thereof', so as to 95 brace and stay the ladder laterally. The platform D may have either a curved or angular profile, both forms being shown in Fig. 1. Near the lower end of the ladder the movable upright A' is braced and stayed laterally by no lro or brackets f, through which a pin or bolt, g,

may be inserted to retain the ladder in a folded position. The pin or bolt g may be constructed so that it may be locked to prevent its withdrawal by any person who has not a proper key, and by this means I prevent any burglar from opening the ladder to enable him to ascend thereon. I may also attach a bell, F, by a chain or connection, It, to the movable upright A', so that it will be rung when the ladder is opened; and I may carry a system of bell-wires through the building and connect them, so that several bells will be rung by the unlocking and opening of the ladder.

In case of iire this ladder will also serve as a means of ascent for the firemen, to enable them to carry hose into the burning building without the necessity of stopping to raise ladders; and this ladder affords a far more stable and effective support than any ladder loosely placed against the wall of the building.

In case of very high buildings the ladder would require considerable power to raise and close it, and to enable this to be done readily I may provide a hand-lever, G, which may be applied to thelowerstirruporyoke,E,asclearly shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to the ladder represen ted atA the left in Fig. 1, it will be seen that this ladder does not extend clear to the ground, but ends above the rst story, and is therefore suitable for a store. In order to support the movable upright A whenv the ladder is open, I providea bracket, H, bolted or otherwise securely fastened to the wall B, and having a cavity, recess, or socket in which the lower' end or' the upright A is received when the ladder is opened for use, and by which the said upright is held against lateral movement.

This ladder, like the one before described, is intended to fall by its own weight when released, and to retain it in its closed position I may employ any suitable devices.

I have here represented a rod, I, extending down on the front of the wall B and connected with the movable upright A by a chain or other connection, t', which passes over a pulley,j as clearly shown in Fig. l. This rod I is adapted to slide vertically, and also turn in Yss bearings lc, and adjacent to the sill of each window-opening it has secured on it a handle,

I. When the ladder is raised or closed the handles l may be turned under catches m,

e to I through which the rod passes, and which are open on one side, as shown best in Fig. 9, and the said handles form stops for engaging with theI catches. A

. When the ladder is to be dropped or opened a person leaning from any window adjacent to which the rod I passes can turn the rod by one of the handles l, so that all the handles will come opposite the open sides ofthe catches m, and the rod then rises andl the ladder opens by the weight of its movable upright.

Near the upper end of each ladder is a yoke, J, lixed to the wall B, and holding the ladder against lateral movement orswinging sidewise, and the step or bracket H also serves a like purpose in the case of the ladder last described.

By my invention I provide a lire-escape which, when folded'up, will detract little from the appearance of a building', which is very strong, and upon which any number of persons may descend at once and with safety.

Ldo not claim, broadly, a lfolding fire-escape ladder composed of a fixed upright, a movable upright, and rungs pivoted in both said uprights, one or both oi' the uprights being recessed on their inner or adjacent sides to receive the rungs when the movable upright is swung upward against the fixed upright, and also being provided with integral shoulders, against which the rungs bear when the ladder is open, and which tend to prevent the movement ofthe rungs below a horizontal position. I am aware that {ire-escape ladders of this construction have been before made.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a building, ofthe folding ladder, one upright of which is secured to the exterior of' the building, and the other of which is movable downward and outward from the building, the rod connected with the movable upright by a chain or other connection, the stationary catches on the building, and stops on the rod, adapted to engage with said catches to hold the ladder closed, substantial ly as described.

2. The combination of theiixed plate or upright A and its attached fulcrum-pieces a, provided with bearings a', the movable channelupright A and its attached fulcrum-pieces b, and the pivoted rungs C, having the angular formation bf, substantially as described.

JOHN CRAWFORD.

IOO 

